Exchange: Viënna, Austria – Study Association POLIS

Name: Rixt Vos

Study program: ‘Organization and Management Studies’

Exchange location: Vienna, Austria

Hi everyone, great decision that you are thinking about going on exchange! I’m Rixt and I went on an exchange to Vienna. I studied there at the Wirtschaftuniversität or in short the WU. This was overall an amazing experience.

It can be kind of a lot of work to arrange your entire exchange. There is a lot to think about, like housing, choosing courses etc.

Accommodation

Was it easy to find a room?

I started searching for an accommodation quite early. I really did not want to go without having a place to stay. I had no difficulties at all with finding a home. On the website of the WU they stated multiple websites where you could find a student house.

Did the university provide housing?

The university did not provide any housing but they did provide enough resources to find a home yourself.

How expensive is housing?

They were slightly more expensive than in Tilburg but nothing crazy. I paid around 600 euro’s per month.

Public transport

Is public transport well organized?

The public transport was extremely well organized in Vienna. The transportation network is widespread throughout the city, it’s well organized, it runs on time and I have never had any difficulties with it!

How expensive is public transport?

At the beginning of the semester all students can buy a semester ticket for 80 euros. With which you can unlimited travel everywhere in Vienna. I thought that this was a really great deal!

Study

What is your experience with choosing the courses?

I felt like picking out courses wasn’t that hard, online you could find the course catalog with all the courses available in it

Were the courses easier, comparable or harder than at Tilburg University?

Overall the level of the courses was comparable/ a bit easier than the level of courses at Tilburg University. Which was nice so I had a bit more time to travel and see other countries/ areas in Austria! In my time abroad I visited for instance; Budapest, Prague, Brno, Bratislava and much more!

General

How is the student life in the city?

Overall my student experience in Vienna was amazing. There are a lot of activities that get organized by the student organization of the WU. For instance I went on a ski trip, wine hikes and a lot of other activities with them!

Is there an introduction day/week?

My exchange started off with a two week long introduction where we visited a lot of cultural events and other cities as well. I highly recommend this introduction program. I met so many new people from all over the world.

What are things people should definitely do/visit when they are there?

If you are going on an exchange to Vienna the one thing you can definitely not miss is the WU ball. This is the biggest university ball there is and it is held in the Hofburg. The Hofburg is one of the oldest imperial buildings which made it really spectacular. Especially in a city so famous for it balls, I think that this is a must do!